Scope of Expertise

Water Boreholes Refurbishment

Potable water is supplied in Israel from three sources: Water located above ground (rivers, reservoirs), desalinated water and groundwater. Groundwater constitutes about one third of all the water sources in Israel; and in some regions in the country, they are the sole source of water in the area (for example, in the Arava, the Jordan Valley, etc.)

EMS Mekorot Projects conducts water borehole drilling for Mekorot and for many other companies in the Israeli market. Water boreholes are one of the Company’s core activities.The company has drilled some 2,500 boreholes to detect and pump water since the establishment of the State, of which some 1,200 are active boreholes.

Just like any engineering facility, boreholes also need periodic refurbishment. Over the years, EMS Mekorot Projects has refurbished boreholes to improve the discharge rate of the water pumped from the borehole.

Additional benefits achieved by refurbishing a borehole are:

¨Reinstating the discharge rate that has diminished;

¨Significant reduction in pumping costs;

¨Extending the life of the existing borehole;

¨Solving water quality problems.

Renovating a borehole is conducted using one of two main techniques:

Mechanical drilling refurbishment: Conducted using mechanical accessories such as water jets, special pistons, compressed air pumping.

Chemical drilling refurbishment: Conductedby introducing chemicals (mainly polyphosphates and acids) into the borehole shaft and draining these chemicals by pumping.